Bail Money

(Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s command center routinely monitors dozens of popular websites, including Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, WikiLeaks and news and gossip sites including the Huffington Post and Drudge Report, according to a government document.

A “privacy compliance review” issued by DHS last November says that since at least June 2010, its national operations center has been operating a “Social Networking/Media Capability” which involves regular monitoring of “publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites and message boards.”

A DHS official familiar with the monitoring program said that it was intended purely to enable command center officials to keep in touch with various Internet-era media so that they were aware of major, developing events to which the Department or its agencies might have to respond.

The document outlining the monitoring program says that all the websites which the command center will be monitoring were “publicly available and… all use of data published via social media sites was solely to provide more accurate situational awareness, a more complete common operating pictures, and more timely information for decision makers…”

The DHS official said that under the program’s rules, the department would not keep permanent copies of the internet traffic it monitors. However, the document outlining the program does say that the operations center “will retain information for no more than five years.”

The monitoring scheme also features a five-page list, attached to the privacy review document, of websites the Department’s command center expected to be monitoring.

CONTROVERSIAL SITES

These include social networking sites Facebook and My Space – though there is a parenthetical notice that My Space only affords a “limited search” capability – and more than a dozen sites that monitor, aggregate and enable searches of Twitter messages and exchanges.

Among blogs and aggregators on the list are ABC News’ investigative blog “The Blotter;” blogs that cover bird flu; several blogs related to news and activity along U.S. borders (DHS runs border and immigration agencies); blogs that cover drug trafficking and cybercrime; and websites that follow wildfires in Los Angeles and hurricanes.

News and gossip sites on the monitoring list include popular destinations such as the Drudge Report, Huffington Post and “NY Times Lede Blog”, as well as more focused techie fare such as the Wired blogs “Threat Level” and “Danger Room.” Numerous blogs related to terrorism and security are also on the list.

Another blog on the list, Cryptome, also periodically posts leaked documents and was one of the first websites to post information related to the Homeland Security monitoring program.

Also on the list are JihadWatch and Informed Comment [leftist professor Juan Cole — ed.], blogs that cover issues related to Islam through sharp political prisms, which have sometimes led critics to accuse the sites of political bias.

Also on the list are various video and photo-sharing sites, including Hulu, Youtube and Flickr.

While a DHS official involved in the monitoring program confirmed the authenticity of the list, officials authorized to speak for the Department did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Isn’t it wacist for using big BROTHER is watching you? Shouldn’t it be Jackboot Janet????

VisitorHere

I assumed I was on their list several years ago, just because I pretty much saw who Obama was before he was elected and wrote about it bluntly. That and issues relevant to our borders, I figured I’ve been on their lists a long time now.

Dana

Actually I would characterize Jihadwatch as viewing Islam through the prism of knowledge about the Koran — with copious quotes when appropriate.

24Klady

Anyone who comments anywhere is under scrutiny. We can only hope they’ll be as enept at watching bloggers and various websites as they are at finding and deporting illegal aliens…..this issue, at some point, will go to the Supreme Court.

VisitorHere

It’s likely reasonable to assume that if you’re White, heterosexual, a Christian — including Catholics — and are registered as or have ever voted for the label, “Republican,” that you’re listed somewhere among the Left’s lists.

Anyone who does not vote against this Administration this November is part of the worst problem this nation has had since WWII.

Teacake

very very very worrisome. Too bad Bush didn’t try this because it would have been stopped by a violent mob asap.

Dapandico

@Craig says:
January 11, 2012 at 8:44 pm

@Dapandico, Please piss on TSA. Thank You!!!

No thanks, I don’t want to excite them.

SweetWilliamGates

FUCK YOU DHS!

VisitorHere

But, the site here has one thing wrong: it’s NOT “Big Brother” who is watching you/us, it’s more like Satan through binoculars peeping in the windows.

Mercurycomet

So with my luck, they’ll get me for an underinflated tire. And not because I hate their guts. Dang.

The Original

Definitely displaying a large case of paranoia. That does not look good for this administration.

Maggie

Privacy Impact Assessment for the Office of Operations Coordination and Planning

Publicly Available Social Media Monitoring and Situational Awareness Initiative Update

Are they going to deport us to Anwar if we don’t weep and wail and tear out our hair when the Republican voters beat the living black ass tar out of the Magic Negro in November, and send him and his big mouth angry ugly illiterate Wookie fat ass back to Chicago, where he can get back to “Man Country” and enjoy his favorite pass time – being “pleasured” by old white guys, like Biden? Or was that Axelrod? I forget. Probably both.

sicoit

AND….as this year goes by, we all know, it’s going to get worse. Teh Won and broad want to get all of their krap done before they have to move out.

Maggie

@The Original says:

January 11, 2012 at 8:54 pm

Definitely displaying a large case of paranoia. That does not look good for this administration
———————————————————————————-

Nahhhh, you’re thinking of the Bush/Cheney administration.

These guys are democrats … so, it’s OK, Spanky.

Merrimac!

Chaz Napolitano (credit for the name goes to michaelsavage) and company are probably monitoring here as well

Little Miss Rainbow

Hi DHS reader!! How are you? Wanna play a nice game of hide and fuck yourself?

Dapandico

Taking a page from North Korea’s playbook. If you don’t cheer sincerely and bow to the Won, off to the camps for you. Oh yeah the borders are secure and DHS is after the Americans within the U.S.A.

exceller

Is this the Hope or the Change?

PhotogGR8

Stay brave zip.
Scary times.
On the bright side…did you hear??!! Chocolate rations are up 16%!

a former dem

wow, even China doesn’t go this far… at least they openly say no media allowed expect what they allow.

Dapandico

Does this mean attackwatch.com is out of business?

bitterclinger

*waves wildly*

Hi, Uncle Janet!

RichardD

Sites reporting on Islam eh? Why am I not surprised. What the DHS calls “bias”, any sane person calls knowing the trust and being knowledgeable about Islam.

zone

“During times of universal deceit,
telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
George Orwell

Come on, who could have known that Big Sis was actually Big Brother? What was there to give it away? After all, her feminine wiles, her femin______

Oh, never mind……

I wish they would expend just as much energy keeping our borders plugged… or rounding up the illegals who are already here….and deporting them. But, then Obama would lose the election and Big Sis would be out of a job…

Let’s hope that somewhere in the near future, Big Sis finds her way into a federal prison.

http://nosite/N/A Phillip

In the spring of 1979 I determined I was under surveillance and on the air with news media. My father was a supervisor in radio communications for 27 years so I knew a lot about the business. Around 1981/82 I used a psychosomatic suggestion on a news reporter which caused him to blink his eyes. Thereafter I directed the news media to blink to try to establish a legal agenda. Of course this did not work because a lot of people around this country are unreputable. I caught the government for criminal reasons. I am positive murder and violence is an appropriate way to do business with government. I could still direct the media to blink in which case, the media is controlled by radio communication law.

Separate Reality

@Katherine

“Let’s hope that somewhere in the near future, Big Sis finds her way into a federal prison.”

To an all male prison….no one would touch her.

freeus

Okay, so we all saw this coming a mile off, but the next question would be which one of our bright candidates is going to mention this move, along with the passage of the NDAA during the next debate, or at a town hall meeting? This is rather important, and other than having strokes over Bain, could we please focus in on losing our freedoms?

In other news, the Jets are in a total clusterfark!

http://correspondencecommittee.com JCM

@Dapandico

Has anyone every seen Janet Reno and Janet Napalitano in the same place at the same time?

Maggie

@JCM says:

January 11, 2012 at 9:40 pm

@Dapandico

Has anyone every seen Janet Reno and Janet Napalitano in the same place at the same time?
——————————————————————-

Butch is an idiot and every DHS employee I have dealt with is worse. Please get the Coast Guard out of DHS they deserve better than to be surrounded by the retards “protecting” the country.

http://www.myway.com Terry L Smith

Dear jackbooted GED level morons at DHS,

I will keep this in two-syllable words, so you get it, as did the great writer Mickey Spillane.

Your job came about, because a bunch of Muslim mofoes dreamed, schemed, and carried out two plans to attack my country, which ain’t the one you call home.

The boss lady, Janet Napolitano, (which looks just as ugly as Janet Reno – who I question at being a girl, at all), only has her job, because of Muslims that have on record, blown up a bomb in the basement of The World Trade Center, in 1993, and, when those Saudi Arabians (notice I said nothing about Americans), flew those planes in The World Trade Center, and The Pentagon, in 2001.

Now, eleven years after all of that, this DHS has become nothing more than a means for the government, to attempt to control each and every American life, and that brings along, what to say, how to dress, where they will let you go, what you can take with you, to fink on your neighbor, or when you are out shopping – to tell the store clerk, and to trust that government has the better ideas how we should live.

One small point! They seem to forget that Americans are NOT the Muslims, never had been the Muslims, never wished to be the Muslims, and don’t want the Muslims in this country, because of all their clamming up, when A Muslim, like that rat fink “Johnny Jihad” (remember him?), or that U.S. Army Colonel, “who should live so long”, that shot some of our boys in uniform, because he was a Muslim!

The DHS WANTS us to forget that we DO have rights. The CONGRESS and SENATE want us to forget that we have rights. We fought a war to GET those rights, and we fought a war because of how those rights were being read, by other Americans. We fought a war against evil of the worse kind, which the DHS IS USING ON AMERICANS. The DHS thinks that Americans should hide in the corner, frightened by what DHS workers, paid with your tax dollars, are doing to Amercians.

THAT IS BLOODY NONSENSE! Who died and named them, ‘god’, eh? Have they NEVER soiled their undies, as baby?

Muslims do not believe in personal liberty and Freedom. It is not in their old “how-to” book. They have no idea of what Freedom is, or what Liberty means to Americans. They know, you are either with us, or agin’ us! They know that not be with them, means that they have orders, in their “how-to” book, to kill every stinking one of us.

You, at DHS, making all that government money from my taxes, and then putting your filthy, unwashed, second time around plastic gloves in somebody’s “uh-oh” area, think all of this is a big joke, or you “get off”, playing the local stormtrooper looking for those darn droids. Just remember, DHS tax-paid worker, I really want nothing to happen to you, other than your job deleted, which means you get no unemployment money. To be back on the streets, a Private F. Civilian, with all those bills you have racked up, with no power, no uniform, no taser, no shield to hide behind, no federal laws to quote, no federal law to carry a concealed firearm as part of your job anymore, no federal union to protect you, and with my best regards, that some nice old grandma remembers how well you performed your assigned duties, and tells you about that, right there and then, in her best Jack Nicholson impression!

Occam’s Tool

Thanks, Van Grungy. Beautiful!

My prediction: the most obvious ways for an Islamofascist to strike at the US would be a bomb aimed (until November 4, 2012) at the Holy Cities of Chicago and Honolulu. Coincidentally, New Zealand is closely aligned with the UAE, has shit for airport security, and has non-stops to Honolulu everyday.

Following this, of course, will come the Wake Up America party, which will destroy the Democrats and Paulbots with a simple slogan, “We’re gonna make the Motherf&^%*s Pay.” The first WUA President will be Occam’s Tool, who will use the power of Presidential Pardon in a Creative Way after putting all political assassinations under Federal Law.

If you think this is interesting, read Caliphate by Tom Kratman, whom I stole 90% of the ideas in this 2 paragraph summary from. I’m not Tom. I just greatly admire the guy.

Occam’s Tool

After cleaning house at home, of course, will come payback.

Bee1

Thanks vangrungy – now I got a new paper target for my dartboard.

Guess which finger I`m holding up to you Hanoi Janet…then go swivel on it.

http://www.southernwolf.net S. Wolf

‘The document adds, using more plain language, that such monitoring is designed to help DHS and its numerous agencies, which include the U.S. Secret Service and Federal Emergency Management Agency, to manage government responses to such events as the 2010 earthquake and aftermath in Haiti and security and border control related to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.’.. bullshit on a stick.. Haiti and British Columbia are not U.S. states or territories and are not in DHS’s job description, to keep America safe.. DHS is plainly spying on Americans.. TSA gropes Americans, DHS spies on us..

Katherine

Attack Waaaatttccch. DHS has taken over the job of Obama’s, laughed out of existence, snooping website.

Sniffy Pop Tuna Scented Popcorn

I write nothing bad. All good. Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Please don’t take me away to a FEMA CAMP.

Hitler thought he had it sowed up in Germany, what makes these people think they can emulate him and people will not react?

Hickster

Newark, NJ Mayor is the top of the line in support of this deal

no good deed

I never noticed Janet Napolitano’s resemblance to Ernest Borgnine until now.

Guy from Utah

Did anyone see the scene in “The Crazies” where they separate the families on the football field? I am sure that can’t be to far behind.

Spurwing Plover

BIG BROTHER KISS MY TAILFEATHERS SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK IM STILL ONE DEFIANT OLD SHOREBIRD SO BACK OFF

Smaj

First off, to the mouthbreathering DHS drones assigned to monitor this site: have you no shame? Do some reading about Nazi Germany (1933-1945). You’re only following orders, right?
To the so-called “leaders” and “managers” at DHS: go fuck yourselves and good luck trying to snuff out freedom-loving Americans- it just won’t happen.

Sanctimonious institutional paranoia and unlimited resources are a dangerous combinaton. They can be used to justify anything. Anything at all.

Rufus

The past few weeks WZ has been under attack by the DHS.
Where do you think all the Obamatron infiltrators have been coming from?

Dear DHS… I hate Obama and his disgusting fatassed Wookie of a wife.

Robert

Sooooo….when I say that the best investments for future are seeds and AMMUNITION, I shouldn’t be using my real name and email?

ThomNJ

Wow.

@Occam – Kratman – yes – love his books.

Okay, so I was also reminded by this that I haven’t been over to Jihad Watch in at least a week; so I better get busy.

Next step is what? Aha, how about a list of key words for good ol’ DHS. how about these? obama, asshole, illegal alien, gun, assault, IRS, muslim, drill baby drill, Tea Party, ammo, more ammo, oil, gasoline, no such thing as global warming, liberty, screw the commies, Government Motors, obowmao, Kenya, birth certificate, border control, no to the death tax, no to death panels, no to obamacare, even more ammo…….

JenBee

Remember when the left lost their collective minds when Bush made it so the feds could see what library book you checked out?

But somehow, detaining American citizens indefinitely without due process and monitoring nearly every blog and website is perfectly okay with them.

Amazing, how the power of a (D) behind your name will silence all those who used to care about liberty and privacy.

PhotogGR8

How safe ARE our ip addresses while we scour the bowels of the interweb here on WZ?